2024 Kings Seasons In Review – Anze Kopitar

The penultimate season in review article is for captain Anze Kopitar, who delivered his second consecutive season at or above 70 points.

Kopitar’s totals have been about as reliable as anyone’s throughout his career and we’ve seen a lot of constants over the last three years in particular, since the Kings transitioned from a team at the bottom of the standings to a team in the postseason. A look at his season below.

Anze Kopitar
LAK Statline –82 games played, 26 goals, 44 assists, +11 rating, 22 penalty minutes
LAK Playoff Statline – 5 games played, 1 goal, 2 assists, even rating, 4 penalty minutes
NHL Possession Metrics (Relative To Kings) – CF% – 53.3% (-0.8%), SCF% – 52.6% (-1.0%), HDCF% – 53.4% (+0.2%)

Trending Up – For the second consecutive season, Kopitar posted 70+ points, even as he missed a couple of games down the stretch. With 70 points from 79 games, Kopitar posted 0.88 points-per-game, his fifth consecutive season at 0.8 points-per-game or better. Kopitar tallied 44 points at even strength, tied for the second most on the Kings this season. His 23 power-play points were the third most on the Kings, while his three shorthanded points were tied for second most. Kopitar’s six game-winning goals led the way among all Kings skaters. Long story short, the captain delivered offensively once again. Even if he made way for Adrian Kempe to lead the team in points, a rare sighting not to see number 11 at the top of the list, it was still a productive season for Kopitar offensively.

Kopitar is also a player who will always be judged on more than just his offensive totals. I think we all know that Kopitar’s career will be remembered for substantially more than his goals, assists and points. He led all Kings forwards in shots blocked this season and was a top-two forward in several metrics in the defensive zone, including stick checks and loose-puck recoveries, with his contested loose-puck recovery rate in the defensive zone leading all Kings forwards. He was also 55.1% in the faceoff circle, his sixth straight season at or above 55 percent. Kopitar isn’t tasked with defensive duties as singlehandedly as he once was, with Phillip Danault helping him to shoulder that burden. He’s still a very capable player defensively, though, and his ability to win possession back in the defensive end was still quite strong throughout the course of the season.

It was also a season of milestones for Kopitar, who continues to show great longevity throughout his Hall of Fame career. Kopitar became the franchise’s all-time leader in games played this season. He also became the Kings’ all-time leader in assists and he hit the 400-goal mark in November. He’s achieved everything as an LA King and should go down as one of the greatest one-franchise players in NHL history. A special thing and he achieved so much of it this season.

Trending Down – A sky-high shooting percentage could be considered a good thing, but it can also be looked at as unsustainable. Kopitar is a career 13.0% shooter who converted at a 19.6% clip this season, the sixth-highest total in the NHL among players to play 75 or more games. That’s a big jump. On a per/60 basis, Kopitar’s individual shooting figures were among the lowest rates of his career in 5-on-5 situations. His individual scoring chances per/60 were at the lowest rate of his NHL career, while his shots on goal and shot attempts were at the second lowest. Perhaps there’s a balance out there, between an uptick in shooting percentage and a downtick in shots. Remains to be seen, but it’s an area to monitor heading into next season.

Like many others on the roster, playoff production is an area in which Kopitar carries his weight. In Game 2, Kopitar was phenomenal, scoring the overtime game-winning goal as a part of a three-point night. In the other four games combined, he was held off the scoresheet and was a -3. In all situations, no Kings forward was on the ice for more goals than Kopitar (8). Now, no forward logged more minutes than Kopitar did either, but even on a per/60 basis, he was third highest overall and second highest at 5-on-5.

2024-25 Outlook– Kopitar signed a two-year contract extension last summer with the Kings, beginning with the upcoming, 2024-25 season and running through the end of the 2025-26 season.

The expectation is that he will continue in the role he’s always had here – 1C. Kopitar has been flanked by Adrian Kempe, the team’s leading scorer, over the bulk of the past three seasons and the two play well together. Quinton Byfield has been a solid third member of that line, but he’s also still projected as a center in the long term for the Kings. Kopitar and Phillip Danault will get theirs and assuming Kopitar’s level of play maintains where it is. As long as it does, you’ll see his name atop the lineup chart, even if there are minutes that are more evenly distributed throughout the lineup than we’ve seen in seasons past.